Broadcasters Often Don't Negotiate in Retrans Talks, ACA Says
Broadcasters typically go into retransmission consent talks with small and mid-sized cable operators with a "take it or leave it" approach to their offers, 76 percent of American Cable Association members said in ACA survey results released Wednesday. ACA said…
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nearly 70 percent of its responding members said their top goal in retrans talks is to keep fee hikes down, and 63 percent expressed pessimism at the future of the retrans negotiations regime. ACA said the November survey received 131 responses. "Apparently, ACA's idea of a free market negotiation is one where cable companies simply get to take programming most valued by their customers for free," NAB said. "We respectfully disagree, and suggest that ACA spend more time fixing its woeful customer service problems than asking for a government bail-out."